The Funny Tonne

Since 2005, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival has challenged three hilarity-chasing enthusiasts to push their endurance-limits in a race to see the most shows in the Festival as humanly possible. Comedy’s ultimate stamina test, Funny Tonne is back in 2016 and open for entries.

With a special comedy passport in hand, the chosen festival fanatics will get to work on a gruelling mission that will require high-level energy, superior organisational abilities and super-human scheduling skills. They must employ every means necessary to get to show after show, from venue to venue and room to room as quickly as possible. Each competitor will review shows to be posted on to the Festival site daily.

Applicants must demonstrate that they have what it takes with spades of determination, enthusiasm and a limitless love of lols before being approved to compete.

Last year’s winner and Funny Tonne record breaker Sarah Trevarthen packed 178 shows into 26 days. That’s an average 6.8 shows each day blowing the previous years’ record of 158 out of the water. With over 530 shows in this year’s Comedy Festival, the Funny Tonners bar could not be set any higher.

The Reviewers

Hi! I'm Cam, the bearded half of the McOrist Brother-Sister duo. I work in IT but turn into a comedy maniac each year around March and April. I'm a huge fan of Melbourne comedy all-year-round, frequenting local rooms and soaking up local podcasts as much as I can. I'm excited to share my experiences with Funny Tonne!

I'm Jeremy, from a small country town in New South Wales bereft of live comedy shows, now living in Sydney where I work as a Librarian and comic book artist. I'm the tallest member of the Funny Tonne this year by a reasonable amount and happy to be representing the interstate contingent in this 30th Anniversary Comedy Festival. My comedy tastes are impossible to figure out and I like it that way.

Hi, I’m Jo. I’m a Melbourne girl and this is my 19th year attending the MICF. My love of comedy all started with a Wil Anderson show at the 1998 festival and I’ve never looked back. That makes me the oldest on team Funny Tonne this year… can I claim wisest? I graduated as a music teacher however these days I’m an IT consultant and I can quite often structure my contract employment commitments to make sure I’m what I like to call “FUNemployed” (not working) around MICF time. That way I can go out to the festival every night and sleep all day. I think this is about the 10th year I’ve applied to be a Funny Tonner so I was absolutely thrilled to get the call for this opportunity of a lifetime. (Seriously, why wouldn’t you apply next year?!). Not surprisingly my favourite comedy styles are stand-up and musical comedy (hello Tripod and Tim Minchin), but I’d never restrict myself to these. When I’m not attending comedy shows I can be found refuelling at Supernormal or continuing my own personal espresso martini tour of Melbourne (where is the best one?).

I'm Shelley, the shorter, but generally more amazing half of the McOrist Brother-Sister team (also the second to have submitted their bio). I'm 25, grew up in Melbourne and am mad for comedy, especially the live variety. I spent my primary school years in a small Victorian country town, high school in the suburbs attending a Richmond all-girls school, and now live in the inner suburbs with my boyfriend. So basically I grew up as a classic Aussie bogan, and slowly transitioned into a flat-white sipping, feminist, inner-city hipster-type. My comedy tastes are relatively broad, enjoying well crafted 'traditional' style stand-up, as well as more experimental and theatrical pieces. I hope my reviews can help you find the perfect show for you!